The Sbek Thom is a Khmer shadow theatre featuring two metre high, non-articulated puppets made of leather openwork. Dating from before the Angkorian period, the Sbek Thom, along with the Royal Ballet and mask theatre, is considered sacred. Dedicated to the divinities, performances could only take place on specific occasions three or four times a year, such as the Khmer New Year, the King’s birthday or the veneration of famous people. After the fall of Angkor in the fifteenth century, the shadow theatre evolved beyond a ritualistic activity to become an artistic form, while retaining its ceremonial dimension. The puppets are made from a single piece of leather in a special ceremony for each character representing gods and deities. The hides are dyed with a solution made from the bark of the Kandaol tree. The artisan draws the desired figure on the tanned hide, then cuts it out and paints it before attaching it to two bamboo sticks enabling the dancer to control the puppet. The performances traditionally take place at night outdoors beside a rice-field or pagoda. A large white backdrop is held between two tall bamboo screens in front of a large fire or, nowadays, projectors. The shadows of the puppet’s silhouettes are projected onto the white screen. The animators bring the puppets to life with precise and specific dance steps. The performance is accompanied by an orchestra and two narrators. Inspired from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana, the performances stage scenes of this epic, which may last several nights and require up to 160 puppets for a single presentation.

Cambodia 2008

It is an indigenous Kazakh performing art that combines theater, music, and puppetry. Some people say orteke is a street theatre, others might claim it is a musical instrument, some would see it as a decorative art, and children perceive it as a toy and use for entertainment. Orteke represents a simultaneous ensemble of music performance on Kazakh traditional two-stringed instrument dombyra and a hopping dance of a wooden puppet. Fixed on a surface of a traditional drum (daulpaz) by a metal rod a flexible wooden figure of teke (a mountain goat) is connected to the fingers of a musician by one or several threads. Flexible head and joints of a puppet are connected to the pulling string. As the musician strikes his/her fingers playing dombyra, the puppet starts hopping in sync with the beat set by an artist. The figure turns alive making amusing dancing movements and tapping a rhythmic beat on a firm skin surface of a drum.Some masters of genre can play with 3 and more puppets at the same time. Sound of dombra, audience public in anticipation, leather surface as flat as the steppe itself, and a small wooden figure of a mountain goat, tied to the puppeteer musician by a single thread, began to beat out the rhythm with its tiny hooves. This action, fascinating with its magical simplicity, is known among the Kazakh people as "Orteke", which is fancied by both children and adults.

Kazakhstan 2022

Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, often resembling some type of human or animal figure, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. Such a performance is also known as a puppet production. Uzbek puppetry is considered to be a traditional art genre, which evolved in the form of an ancient traditional theatre of people. Folk puppeteers used "qol qoghirchoq" (puppet played with hands or gloves), "ip qoghirchoq" (puppet-marionette), "mayda qoghirchoq" (small puppet) or "katta qoghirchoq" (big puppet). Main feature of the puppetry is that main heroes are puppets and an actor, who manipulates them, hides behind the scene. The puppet show, which combined traditional as well as contemporary ideas, was staged together with folk pantomime dances, under accompaniment of music of national instruments. In the ХХ century there were more than 40 troupes of traditional puppet theatre in Uzbekistan. Most of them were engaged in hand puppet ("Chodir jamol"), the marionettes theatre ("Chodir hayol"), on the other hand, it was possible to see only rarely in Tashkent, Bukhara, Qoqand, Samarkand and Khiva. At present this art is being revived again thanks to the activity of craftsmen, who make puppets and actors-puppeteers. Puppet making is an ancient type of folk applied art. This type of art was evolved as a result of human’s relationship with the nature. Initial puppets were animalshaped and made of clay. They became more complicated step by step. Central Asian people mainly occupied with agriculture and cattle-raising and their art was associated with their lifestyle. Uzbek people have always loved children. Children always need dolls and puppets. Such puppets as sheep, lamb, duck, geese, roosters, fish, shell whistled and others were among them.

"Small Shadow Puppet" (also known as "puppet" and some call "Nang Talong") is a type of theater that uses a white screen and lighting to bring down shadows like the large shadow puppet, too. But on the contrary, the small shadow puppet is smaller and the figure can control the movement of the limbs and the mouth can speak by shaking the bamboo pole and can also perform fairy tales, new stories or comedies. Small Shadow Puppet artists need to know how to control the leather and narrate. The music accompanying the small shadow theater is the Pin Peat. The Sbaek making is not much different from the large shadow puppet. Short story used to be performed by artists from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts: -\t1994 “The story of Thun Chey” directed by Professor Pich Tum Kravol, Mr. Mao Keng. The leather sculpture are Mr. Man Kosal, Mr. Ieng Hoeun, Mr. Kong Rath. -\t1996 "Preah Chan Korrup" was compiled by Mr. Pok Saran, Neakru Uy Lattavann, Mr. Keo Sonireth and directed by Professor Pich Tum Kravil, Mr. Hang Soth, Mr. Mao Keng. -\t1998 “White Hair Send Off Black Hair” compiled by Mr. Pok Saran and directed by Professor Pich Tum Kravil, Mr. Hang Soth and Mr. Mao Keng. Drawn and sculptured by Mr. Prak Siphannarath and Mr. Soeur Vuthy. -\t1999 "The story of the father-in-law choosing the son-in-law” compiled by Mr. Pok Saran and directed by Professor Pich Tum Kravil, Small leather (Photo: Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, 2004) Mr. Hang Soth, Mr. Mao Keng. Drawn and sculptured by Mr. Soeur Vuthy and Mr. Prak Siphannarath. -\t2002 "The Story of Alev" compiled by Mr. Pok Saran and Mr. Keo Sonireth and directed by Professor Pich Tum Kravil, Mr. Hang Soth, Mr. Mao Keng.

With a history of about 700 years, founded by farmers. The art of Water Puppetry in Nguyen Xa and Dong Cac is associated with the water stage and traditional Cheo art. The plays are closely associated with the lives of farmers in the North. They created and preserved many special plays such as: Bat Tien Dance, Couple Swing, Ngu Phuong Play. The "lion dance" of Water Puppetry in Nguyen Xa and Dong Cac is unique in the whole country. The uniqueness right from the name "Water Puppetry" is that water is used as the stage for the performance. The surface of the pond is both the stage, the environment, the scenery, and a supporting character for the puppets to operate under the skillful control of the artists. In the art of water puppetry, the puppets are the direct actors and the most important technical facilities contributing to the success of the plays. The most diverse types of puppets from Uncle Tieu to Master Duong Tang, from large unicorns to small, cute ducks and fish... Uncle Teu from Nguyen village (Nguyen Xa commune) has become a familiar character, with the image of a healthy, plump, plump, rosy-skinned farmer with a cheerful smile without a trace of thought. Teu is a character that often appears at the beginning of the show, controlling the program, teaching students, maintaining order... very close to the optimistic and life-loving farmers who know how to take advantage of laughter in production and combat. In theory, they control the puppets with strings and poles, but they have their own secret to create the liveliness and charm of the water play. There is also a special puppet-making technique here. They do not pass on the profession to outsiders and girls. This is the cradle of training and teaching students for the Central Puppetry Theater. They are also invited to perform diplomatically in many places around the world. The art of water puppetry is a synthesis and multifaceted combination of many elements, creating uniqueness, magic and attraction from the stage, the play room, the puppets to other magical elements such as the machines controlling the artists, the plays and the stories. The art of Water Puppetry in Thai Binh is the crystallization of the creativity, intelligence and ingenuity of the people created over many generations and lasting over time.